Navy Offers New Housing Allowance Alternative for Families, More Female Uniform Options

The Navy's personnel boss rolled out several policy tweaks this week that include a change to the way sailors with families can get their housing allowance, as well as more uniform options for female sailors.

In a message that went out Tuesday, the Navy announced that it will now allow sailors who change duty stations within the U.S. -- but choose to leave their families behind -- to request either a housing allowance for their previous duty station or for the duty station they are going to.

The idea behind the policy is to allow families greater flexibility in making moves and enable them to keep living in the same area for longer periods of time even if orders take the sailor elsewhere.

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Starting in October, the change will apply to all sailors -- enlisted and officers -- who are leaving their families behind in one of the 50 U.S. states, according to a fact sheet released alongside the message announcing the policy.

The policy stresses that opting in means the family will receive only a single housing allowance and sailors would have to sort out housing at their new duty station on their own.

As a result, the policy appears to be aimed at sailors reporting to ships that can guarantee an opportunity to live aboard or more senior sailors who are interested in offering their families a more stable living environment while they pay for their own housing out-of-pocket.

While many bases offer "unaccompanied government quarters," better known as barracks, rooms are not always readily available.

"Sailors should determine if they can financially sustain alternate housing arrangements at their [new duty station], if government quarters are unavailable," the fact sheet warns.

Meanwhile, Wednesday, the Navy also announced that it would be rolling out the first phase of its five-year effort to modernize female uniforms.

The message released Wednesday announced that female chief petty officers and officers will now be able to wear an overblouse -- a short-sleeved garment that resembles a dress shirt but untucked -- with their summer white service uniform starting next year.

The overblouses are being rolled out in Navy exchanges now, and the sea service has been conducting fit clinics for the garment this month.

The Navy is also offering female officers the option of an overblouse-style shirt for the service dress blue uniform that should start being available for purchase in April.

Finally, Wednesday's message also announced the rollout of service slacks for women with back pockets, and the Navy said it is looking into adding side pockets for service skirts, which have been redesigned to be a more straight design.

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